10 Card Games to Try from Gen Con 50

Gen Con in Indianapolis, Indiana is known as the four best days in gaming. On August 19th through 20th, companies showcased their best new games to over 200,000 attendees at the 50th anniversary of the tabletop convention. Below is a list of ten new and exciting card games that were demoed, previewed, and sold at Gen Con.

Campy Creatures is a game of bluffing and trick-taking centered around the campy monsters of horror creature-feature fame. Each player plays their hand of creatures to try to capture the most mortal cards to gain points. Mortals consist of the usual horror movie tropes—teenagers, damsels in distress, mad scientists, and astronauts. Creatures all have special abilities that allow players to combat other creatures. Campy Creatures was originally a Kickstarter game and includes an app version of the score keeper for added portability. The art by Emrich Office is stunning and reminiscent of vintage horror movie posters. Print versions of the art were also available at the Keymaster Games booth, but can be found on the Emrich Office website.

Available Now
Ages 14+
2-5 players
For fans of horror movies, set collection games, and bluffing games

In Witching Hour, players compete over three rounds as Witches in the Witches Cup. Each card allows players to attack or defend with magical objects. Players use their hands to hex their rivals. The winner will have the least number of hexes at the end of the rounds, thus ending with the lowest score.

Available Now
Ages 14+
2-5 players
For fans of witches and hexes

The Fox in the Forest is a two-player trick-taking game. The cards and art are themed after fairy tales. Each card has a beautiful illustration depicting the various suits that can be played throughout the rounds. Players score points by winning more tricks than their opponents, but certain cards can turn the game in a player’s favor. With easy to no setup and a play time of 30 minutes, this is a fast and easy two-player game.

Available Now
Ages 10+
2 players
For fans of trick-taking, foxes, fairy tales, and two-player games

Gen Con hosted a slew of new takes on the classic deck building mechanism. Comic fans rejoice for the theme and art of this deck builder based on the popular Scott Pilgrim comics by Bryan Lee O’Malley. To win, use the powers of Scott Pilgrim and his friends to defeat the seven evil exes. Purchase cards and build a button-mashing attack hand to take down Ramona Flower’s past suitors. Every card is a hilarious reference to the comic, but gamers that are new to Scott Pilgrim will still enjoy the quirky jokes and art. Matching play mats are also available for the true Scott Pilgrim geeks out there that want to protect their cards in play.

Available October 2017
Ages 13+
1-5 players
For Fans of comics, Scott Pilgrim, vegan powers, and deck-building games

Go Nuts for Donuts is a fast and easy set collection card game. Players choose which variety of tasty donut they would like to add to their set, but if another player chooses the same donut, no one wins the card for the round. The combination of secret bidding and light strategy make this an engaging game for kids.

Available Now
Ages 8+
2-6 players
For Fans of family games and donuts

Tesla vs Edison Duel is a two-player variation of the Tesla Vs Edison tabletop game with adjustments to create a lighter and more fast-paced play experience. Players face off as the inventors of DC current or AC current and race to control an electric empire. There are three categories to gain points to progress to victory: Public Relations track scoring, Stock acquisition, and Project acquisition. Similarly to Tesla vs Edison, Tesla vs Edison Duel is a successfully backed Kickstarter project.

Available October 2017
Ages 14+
2 players
For fans of electricity, history, card drafting, and investing

Custom Heroes uses an innovative card-crafting technique that AEG games is well known for developing. Play is similar in style to a card-drafting game. However, clear card sleeves allow players to add different abilities in layers to base cards, creating custom “crafted” cards. Players use the cards to build custom heroes and fight for victory! The art style is fun and fresh, but the replayability of differently crafted heroes will add to this game for multiple plays.

Fog of Love is a romantic comedy deck building game where role playing meets card drafting. In this two-player game, players create characters and play out their love story by building a deck of their traits. Just like in real relationships, players must choose cards for their character that decide the fate of their relationship. Fog of Love may be one of the only games where players can speculate: is it meant to be?

Available October 2017
Ages 17+
2 players
For fans of deck builders, romantic comedies, narratives, and role playing

Catalyst games partnered with Wizards of the Coast for this new Dungeons & Dragons deck building game. Dragonfire is a cooperative game based in the D&D universe. This fantasy-themed deck is a new take on Catalyst’s popular Shadowrun: Crossfire game, but has some additional tweaks that make game play easier. Expansions are set to be released for Dragonfire that will expand the D&D universe, and add a high replayability value.

Available October 2017
Ages 10+
2-6 players
For fans of D&D, deck builders, and fantasy

In Sparkle Kitty, each character is a princess trapped in a tower by an evil witch but these aren’t your typical princesses. Each trapped princess has their own magical powers to free themselves by playing spell cards to be the first princess to escape. In order to play a spell, players must shout out cute and silly spells to get free from the tower. Sparkle Kitty is a fun game to play with kids, but could also be a fun party game for players of any age. The art of the quirky princesses in this game makes it a lot of fun.

Available October 2017
Ages 6+
3-8 players
For fans of family games, party games, silly sayings, sparkly kitties, and self-reliant princesses